In 2009, As Seen on TV products
became Anna’s Linens’ fastest-growing
product sector. “These products earned
key positioning,” Gladstone says of the
large displays near the checkout area in
each store. “With the amount of marketing put into these products, and how their
value is marketed on TV, these products
are great impulse buys. If people want a
Snuggie at Anna’s Linens, they’re absolutely going to get it. Still, it just amazes
me how many of those — tens of thousands — that we sell.”
Partners Help Push to 1,000
Gladstone is quick to credit Anna’s
Linens’ agency partners on the
creative and media buying side. “I am a
big proponent of our agencies — Kovel/
Fuller and KSL Media,” he says. “They
are both out of this world, and we are de-
lighted with the relationships.”
When talking about KSL Media,
Gladstone revels in the background work
the agency did before pitching his com-
pany. “KSL really analyzed our business,
who our customers are, why we needed
to broaden our reach and target custom-
ers we were looking for but not neces-
sarily good at reaching,” he says. “KSL
was head and shoulders above any other
company in the interview process. It
starts with their team. They get our busi-
First Anna’s Linens Location:
Education:
Family:
Defining moments:
The Anna’s Linens Web site,
www.annaslinens.com, has been a huge
growth area for the retailer in recent years.
ness, did — and continue to do — their
homework, grasp who we are and what we
needed to do. They even introduced us to
Kovel/Fuller, our creative partners. For us,
the two operate as one. Everything we do,
we kick off with both companies.”
With more than 250 stores in opera-
tion, Gladstone remains focused on a
promise he made to his mother shortly
before her death in 2003 that, eventually,
there will be 1,000 Anna’s Linens loca-
tions. Moving from pure DR print and
into an integrated, multi-media direct
response space has paid off for Gladstone
and Anna’s Linens. Moving from pure
DR print and into an integrated, multi-
media direct response space has helped
push the business toward that goal, and
Gladstone has become a believer in this
new DR marketing mix.
“The best medicine is to use print
and TV in conjunction,” he contends.
“Going totally print or totally TV just
has not gotten same results for Anna’s
as blending the two, especially once we
found the secret sauce on what to spend
on TV vs. what to spend on print. When
you’re talking about spending $30 million
a year on advertising, I am way too frugal
to spend that kind of money if it doesn’t
work. What we’re doing is obviously
working.” ■
